Stories from 23 September 2012
Saudi Arabia: Celebrating National Day in Style
Saudi Arabia marks its National Day today [Sept 24] and young Saudis are celebrating the day in style. On Twitter, the day's events are tagged with a special hash tag #اليوم_الوطني, which translates to National Day. According to accounts on social media, young men took to the streets to celebrate the day, with dancing and street parades in their cars.
Georgia: ‘Broom Revolution’ as Elections Approach
Thousands have protested in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, after videos showing physical abuse in the country's prison system aired on some television stations and were shared on YouTube.
The Pain of Being Physically or Mentally Challenged in Pakistan
Being a physically or mentally disabled person in Pakistan is a very painful existence because society finds it exceedingly hard to accept people who are a bit different, and who need a little special care. In this post, differently abled people from Pakistan talk about their experiences.
Iran: Google and Gmail Will Be Filtered
Abdolsamad Khoramabadi, an Iranian official declared [fa] on Sunday 23rd September, Google and Gmail are going to be filtered in the next few hours.He says people asked us to take a stand against the sites insulting Islam's Prophet. Khoramabadi is one of key members of a “Commission to Determine Instances...
Philippines: TEDxDiliman Trends on Twitter
More than 100 attendees trooped to the University of Philippines campus in Diliman to witness TEDxDiliman 2012. Several recognizable personalities were invited as this year's speakers. Meanwhile, on the internet, netizens eagerly followed the event via livestream. The hashtag #tedxdiliman quickly became a local trending topic.
Malaysia: New Lacewing Species Discovered with Online Help
Malaysian photographer Guek Hock Ping blogged and posted photos of a lacewing species he found in Selangor, Malaysia. Readers saw it in his blog and Flickr page and eventually scientists confirmed that it's a new species of lacewing. It's now called Semachrysa jade
Brunei: e-Darussalam Government Portal
e-Darussalam is Brunei's official web portal which aims to facilitate government transactions and delivery of services. The website also offers the contact details of the country's major government agencies.
Thailand: Historic Cigarette Cards Now Digitized
Historically 176 sets of cards, totaling around 9000 individual cards, representing 42 tobacco companies, were made for the Thai market. Of these some 60 sets were Thai specific designs. To many people, these cards are simply beautiful; collectable as artistic or decorative objects… Through its online catalog, New Mandala has...
Chinese ‘Soft Power’ Expands in Africa with CCTV
Chinese state-controlled media, China Central Television (CCTV), launched its African regional bureau in Nairobi, Kenya on January 11. While its presence has diversified the media landscape in Africa, some have been rather skeptical of its journalistic independence.
Russia: Human Rights Figures Petition Online to Free May 6 Prisoners
As the din of the Pussy Riot trial fades, some human rights activists in Russia are seeking to shift the public's focus to protesters arrested in connection with violence against police at a mass demonstration in early May. Twenty-three of Russia's most noteworthy intellectuals and activists have signed an online...
